Nets let third quarter lead slip, still topple LeBron-less Lakers, 121- 104

Brooklyn- Despite taking a little bit longer than it should have and making the score closer than it should have, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 at Barclays Center.It was far from the star-studded matchup that fans had anticipated between Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The absence of James and Davis, along with Durant's MCL sprain and Durant's absence from the game, made the contest between the depth players on both teams.With 26, Kyrie Irving continues to lead the Nets in scoring, while Cam Thomas, a bench player, has 21 points and a 61% field goal percentage. In addition, Thomas was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the triumph.In a standout outing for the Australian sharpshooter, Patty Mills added 21 points. She also shot 4-for-7 from three and 7-of-12 from the field. Day'Ron Sharpe had three assists in addition to 14 rebounds, which was a game best.Royce O'Neale scored 14 points in one game and got things going early for the second time in a row by making back-to-back threes.Coach Jacque Vaughn of the Nets remarked, "Doing your part and not knowing when you're going to be called on is why I enjoy team basketball. "We've been discussing it and attempting to make it normal among our group. Then you suddenly find yourself needed. After a strong start from our starters, our bench scores 66 points for us. "Guys that are ready to participate and contribute" are really outstanding.The third quarter was slow, which made the game on Monday night closer than it should have been. The Lakers embarked on a 14-0 run to open the second half, cutting the Nets' halftime advantage of 58-46 that they had amassed over the first 24 minutes of play.

The margin was swiftly reduced thanks in part to Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr. Dennis Schroder scored the game-winning shot with 8:47 remaining to give Los Angeles a 60-58 advantage. After Royce O'Neale finished the three-point play, Brooklyn was able to reclaim the lead and extend its advantage to five points.With 2:32 remaining in the third, Lonnie Walker IV made a three-pointer to give the Lakers a seven-point lead once more. However, the Nets scored three baskets in a 10-0 run to tie the game before the period was through.LA was within one point thanks to Walker IV, but Brooklyn went on a 9-1 run to take a 10-point lead. The Nets held a 106-93 advantage when Thomas scored on a driving layup with 6:37 remaining in the contest.Irving added, "Yeah, I mean, if we're not making shots, every team is on the run." "I thought we had a couple outstanding ones that came and went or just didn't go our way," the author said. The Lakers' offence tonight was mostly driven by transition. Instead of making things tough for them, we forced them to take actions in the half-court that helped us set up our defence and position ourselves for victory. They received a couple offensive rebounds."I feel like we've been talking about this for a while now about just doing the small things, and whenever other teams do the little things and come in and grab offensive rebounds and extra shots, they're going to make a run or two," the player said.The Nets have now won four times in their previous six games after their victory on Monday. Additionally, it was the second game in a row that the Nets appeared to slow down in the third quarter after dominating the first two.The Lakers shot a dismal 27.3% from the floor and went almost five minutes without scoring a basket as the Nets owned a 29-16 advantage after the first 12 minutes.Throughout the second quarter, Brooklyn increased their advantage three times, reaching 19 points.